Page 15 of Red Dragon’s Heart

He sank to the floor, panting with exhaustion and yet still jerking and twisting, as if the monster could never let him rest.

And his eyes still burned with murderous rage.

Zakerek lay on the floor of the cell, unable to get up, unable to stay still. Pain lanced through him every time he moved.

If he gave in to the beast, would the pain stop? Or would he just become that thing, and never come back?

The thought was intolerable. So he resisted, with his body and his mind, while more nightmares came.

Him killing all his enemies, everyone who had ever enslaved him, mocked him, abused him. He destroyed them in rivers of blood and flames.

He was savage. Triumphant. Unstoppable.

Alone.

Everything he wanted, he would take, and kill any creature who tried to stop him.

He would have what he deserved; his hoard would be second to none. Gold and women and magic, all for him. Awe and devotion.

It was a lie. He knew it was a lie, a delusion, a horrific dream of destruction disguised as triumph. He could only fight it with tiny moments of memory:

Mining atherias by singing it out of the ground in a river of molten metal and magic, with his brother dragons, Cazbek and Mikah.

His dragon’s hoard, gold and atherias, safe at Al-Maddeiri.

Playing pool with Tristan in his man cave, drinking beer.

Annoying King Emon by hanging naked tiny-dick portraits of him in the formal dining room.

Clan barbecues, trying to see who could create the biggest flame by spitting tequila into the air and lighting it on fire with their breath.

Pissing everyone off at Sunday dinner until someone lost their temper, breathed flames and set the table on fire.

Kendra, King Emon’s daughter, slipping her tiny hand in his as they walked down the castle hallway. Drawing pictures for him to hang on his man-cave fridge. Her imperious little voice yelling, “Unka Zak! Watch this!” as she tried to Change to dragon form for the first time.

They don’t want you, a voice said inside him. They never wanted you. They don’t care that you’re gone.

Yes they do.

But the words were hollow. It had been over a year. Did they miss him at all?

Would they even want him back?

Another dark vision filled his head: Making his way back to the Al-Maddeiri territory, breaching its magical protections.

Killing everything that lived there. Dragons, wolves—men and women and children. He could smell the carnage, taste the blood—hot and sustaining while he drank his fill.

The monster reveled in it.

He could feel his teeth tearing through muscle, ripping bone from bone with a cracking of joints.

Every memory he tried to hold onto, to bring back his humanity, morphed into a vision of blood and death.

And behind it all, going on and on, the laughter of the ones who had done this to him.

Chapter 9

Maddie watched the creature hurling himself at the bars, howling and snarling, until he collapsed in exhaustion—and then started all over. It was terrifying and heartrending. Was it even possible for him to turn human again? How long would it take? Or would he beat himself to death first?